Chapter 92 Escape

spotting jolthar's unconscious form, lying perilously close to the crumbling edge, eran didn't hesitate. he darted toward him, dodging falling debris with agility honed by countless battles. but maelruth had been quicker; eran saw the drake standing beside jolthar, nudging him. with a practised motion, eran slid down to jolthar, scooping him up with surprising ease despite unconscious jolthar's weight. "come on, boy, hold together!" he muttered under his breath, though jolthar couldn't hear him. debris rained down around them as the canyon floor tilted further inward, the relentless pull of the sinkhole threatening to drag everything into its depths. eran hauled jolthar onto drake's back, securing him with one arm while gripping the reins tightly with the other. the drake snorted, its powerful muscles tensing as if responding to eran's sharp command. "go, boy! out of here!" maelruth reared up for a brief second before bolting toward the collapsing canyon's edge, its strong limbs thundering against the trembling ground. the knights and others, already scrambling up the sides, paused momentarily, looking back at eran and the drake racing against the collapsing terrain. "move!" raayani's voice cut through the chaos like a blade. "don't stop now!" with one final burst of speed, maelruth leapt over a falling section of rock, landing heavily on the solid ground beyond the canyon's edge. eran pulled them to a halt, panting heavily as he slid off the drake, carefully lowering jolthar to the snowy ground. the others emerged moments later, their expressions a mix of exhaustion and relief. behind them, the canyon gave a final, ground-shaking groan before collapsing entirely. the sand, rock, and debris were swallowed into a massive sinkhole, leaving only a jagged, unnatural scar where the canyon once stood. eran leaned against the drake, his breath visible in the cold air. "that was too close," he muttered, glancing down at jolthar. blood still trickled down jolthar's arm, staining the snow beneath him, but his chest rose and fell steadily. the group gathered around, the snow falling steadily as if nature itself sought to bury the chaos of the canyon. for a moment, they stood in silence, catching their breath, each aware of how close they had come to disaster. now outside the canyon, their immediate danger had passed, but the weight of what had transpired lingered in the air. the snow continued to fall, now covering the desert in an unnatural, white silence. raayani's gaze drifted to the horizon, her expression pensive. "this is far from over," she said softly, more to herself than to anyone else. she was thinking about the ones who escaped. jolthar lay unconscious, his face pale but peaceful, as if finally finding a moment of respite. daus, who left with the women, didn't go much further, and when he saw the serpent ice dragon, he came to the canyon only to see it was gone. he met with the rest of them and learnt that his brother was killed and also his abominations with him. the knights, weary but disciplined, fell in line with the others. eran had put jolthar on the drake, and they moved along the drake. belan and yoana stayed close to raayani, their presence a silent reminder of the bond they shared despite the chaos of their surroundings. together, they began the long trek back to the valley, the silence punctuated only by the crunch of boots on the sand and the distant calls of desert creatures. - far beyond the canyon, the nynthrall ship raced through the air, its hull glowing faintly with the mana crystals that powered it. the sands below blurred into indistinct waves as the ship picked up speed, desperate to put as much distance as possible between itself and the wrath of raayani. inside, the atmosphere was tense. the crew, a force of nynthralls who hadn't participated in the canyon battle, worked frantically to keep the ship steady. their faces betrayed unease—they knew how close they had come to annihilation. in the ship's dimly lit hold, yilar sat slumped against the wall, his body battered and his left arm reduced to a stump. dark energy flickered faintly around his wounds, his regenerative abilities working overtime to keep him alive. blood soaked through the crude bandages that had been hastily applied, but despite the agony coursing through his body, a faint smile tugged at his lips. the mission was a success. he turned his gaze to the centre of the hold, where a massive, shadowy creature writhed against its bindings. its form was grotesque, an amalgamation of black scales and translucent skin, its glowing eyes filled with rage and confusion. the creature snarled, its claws scraping against the magical restraints that held it in place, each movement causing sparks of dark energy to crackle in the air. "until we meet again, blue rose matriarch," yilar muttered, his voice hoarse but tinged with satisfaction. he coughed violently, spitting blood onto the floor, but his grin widened. "we got what we came for." one of the surviving nynthralls approached him cautiously, their robed form betraying nervousness. "captain, your wounds—" yilar silenced them with a glare. "save it. focus on getting us back." the subordinate nodded and retreated, leaving yilar alone with his thoughts. despite the pain, the captain's mind churned with plans. raayani's intervention had been unexpected, and it had nearly cost them everything. yet, the creature in the hold was proof that even the mighty could be outmanoeuvred. yilar's gaze lingered on the creature as it let out another enraged roar, its form glowing faintly in the dim light. the bindings held firm, a testament to the dark magic that had been woven to contain it. "let them think they've won," yilar murmured to himself, his voice barely audible over the hum of the ship's engines. "this is only the beginning." satisfied, he leaned back against the wall, his breathing shallow but steady. the ship continued its flight across the desert, carrying its precious cargo toward whatever dark purpose awaited.